Students create, sell custom made jeans

The search for the perfect pair of jeans is over.

Wharton sophomores Adina Luo and Molly Liu have started Black Box Denim, a new initiative on Kickstarter to make it easier for people to find a pair of well-fitting jeans by ordering custom-made jeans online.

They have currently accumulated over $10,000 towards their goal of $25,000 on Kickstarter. Luo and Liu can only move forward with their business plans if they meet this goal.

The two have been planning out the steps to execute their business plan since January.

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The original idea was to create custom-made handbags with high quality leather. The idea changed to denim when Luo and Liu realized that the quality of leather they were searching for was hard to match to their expectations.

The pair then decided on denim because of the current “jean culture” that exists in the United States, where there is an obsession over finding the perfect fit, Luo said.

For those who fall in between or outside the size range, Luo explains that Black Box Denim is the solution. According to their Kickstarter website customers can quickly order well-fitting jeans without having to scour through multiple stores or break the bank. The jeans are $125 per pair

“They make the biggest size or the smallest size possible,” Luo said. Most jean sizes are standardized, but many women may be forced to either size up or down or even look elsewhere — depending on their body type. By offering custom-made jeans, Luo said that people could feel comfortable with the way they look.

Black Box Denim promises high quality as well. They spent the summer in Guangzhou, China, where they visited three fabric markets to find the ideal fabric — one with the perfect stretch, strength and ability to hold in lasting color.

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Liu and Luo have given clear instructions in the form of a video on how to take precise measurements as well as a breakdown of the fabrics, washes and styles that will be available from Black Box.

“I like how they’ve made it dead-simple for the consumer to get the pair of jeans they want,” College and Wharton junior Max Wolff said in an email.

“That kind of clarity is really important for people buying clothes online,” Wolff said.

Luo and Liu emphasized that this project is not just another way to sell a product. By offering jeans custom made for any body type, “we’re also selling a positive body image,” Liu said.

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